FLAVOR OF THE MONTH/REAL CHINESE
What do you think is the most popular alcohol on earth? Wine? Good guess – there are different varieties of wine produced all around the world. But it's not. And neither is beer. In fact, the world's most consumed alcohol is little known outside of China. It's called baijiu, literally “white alcohol.”
But if you've been to China (or even Googled Chinese cuisine) you probably have heard of baijiu. It's one of civilization's oldest liquors, perfected over some 9,000 years of distilling, taste testing, and through endless toasts.
The price of a bottle of baijiu can range from as little as $1 to more than $100,000, making it available to pretty much anyone who wants a sip. Factor in China's population of 1.4 billion people and it's no surprise the liquor is in high demand. So precisely how much baijiu is consumed each year around the world? By some estimates, up to 10 billion liters. That's enough baijiu to fill 4,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Foreigners tend to have a love/hate relationship with baijiu. The reason is pretty straightforward: the quality, like the cost, varies widely. For most of us, our first visit to China will involve sampling some of China's famous baijiu. Most of us aren't going to shell out a few hundred yuan to taste something we already expect to hate, so what we usually end up purchasing is a small bottle of cheap erguotou, a brand of baijiu.
There's a common misconception that all baijiu is the same, and variations in price are solely based on how smooth the flavor is. Unlike beer and wine, there are only a few main types of baijiu. For a drink that's been around for as long as this has, it's stayed relatively unaltered.
My first taste of baijiu was the popular Beijing Red Star Erguotou. The flavor of the pungent liquor could be fairly compared to rubbing alcohol. But years later I had an experience with the famous Moutai, which completely changed my perception. This was slightly sweet with a smooth finish and pleasing aroma. Did this have something to do with Moutai being significantly more expensive? Probably. But price wasn't the main game.
There are four main types of baijiu, described as different fragrances: strong fragrance, sauce fragrance, light fragrance, and rice fragrance. If you're like me, you'll be partial to one particular type without even realizing it. Although the methods of distillation are relatively similar, differences in ingredients and water sources give each its signature taste, and the end product could mean the difference between having a transformative experience or a series of punishing shots you'll live to regret the next day.
Though baijiu pairing isn't really a thing, different baijiu has different purposes. The light-fragranced erguotou is considered the people's baijiu. You can find cheap, pocketsized bottles almost everywhere and they're great when you're on-the-go or dining alone. Strong-fragrance baijiu is preferred by the older generation. With a sharp smell somewhat resembling a nail salon, it's like the alcohol equivalent of a packet of unfiltered Marlboro Reds.
Whether you're trying baijiu for the first time, or thinking about giving it a second shot, don't go cheap. Try sampling a few quality baijius to see what the hype is all about. Baijiu hasn't made it onto dinner tables for more than 9,000 years by being repulsive.